Trickster's Crime
by Annabeth Frost
Summary: Taking place after the events of Trickster's Choice, Aly makes a journey to rescue Dove from the Trickster God who has taken her away. Aly and Nawat share this journey and come ever closer. There may be a little bit of smut/lemons between Aly and Nawat later on, therefore it is rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers, waaayyy back when I was in year 7 I wrote this fanfic and have just had it sitting around for ages and today I decided to do something with it. So I'm typing it up and making adjustments, adding things in, taking things out etc to make it easier to read and more interesting. What I wrote is 12 pages long, but the first chapter I adjusted from just half a page. Also I haven't read the books in a couple years so if I get names or anything wrong please remind me and I'll fix it up! Anyway, I'll be typing it up and probably adding a chapter per day. I hope you enjoy it and please please please give me feedback/reviews?**

 **The Castle**

Aly woke to the sounds of a thunderstorm and immediately ran to Dove's side. The 13 year old girl was having a nightmare. Aly tried to wake her but the God Kyprioth must have her, so she ran out of the castle to where Nawat slept, ignoring the piercing rain that soaked her nightgown. He woke easily to her murmurs, and sleepily muttered her name with a happy smile on his face. Aly knew the feelings that Nawat had for her, for she reciprocated them, however she was in a hurry.  
"Nawat," Aly exclaimed, "Kyprioth has Dove in his clutches, I cannot wake her and she seems so distressed!" The happy smile disappeared from Nawat's face as he leaped up and ran into the castle. Aly then ran on to tell Fesgao, Chenoal Ulasim and Ochobu who all followed Nawat into the castle. As Aly followed them terrible thoughts ran through her mind, and she realised that she must tell the Duchess of the situation. With even greater determination Aly ran through the castle hallways to Duchess Winnamie's room to tell her and Sarai that Dove was trapped in a dream with Kyprioth. With Duchess Winnamie and Sarai in pursuit, Aly hurried back toward her mistress's room where everyone had gathered. As she rushed into the room Nawat looked up, the look on his face full of sorrow as he walked up to her and swooped Aly into his loving, supportive arms. Pressing her face into Nawat's chest Aly prayed to Kyprioth. _Kyprioth, I know you have Dove, but you let her go right now. You give her back to us NOW!_ But Aly's thoughts went unheard as she got no reply from the God. She began to weep in fear for Dove, the mistress she now loved ever so much. Nawat murmured comforting words into her ear as he kissed her forehead tenderly. Everyone in the room sombrely watched the young lady, with worry seeming to thicken the room.

Nawat had made Aly leave the room just before dawn, when the storm had passed, and he had taken her to his sleeping place so she could calm down and get some rest. Making her sit on his cot, he retrieved a dry shirt for them both. Aly watched him silently as he stripped off his damp bedclothes, revealing his hard, tanned stomach, before pulling a dry shirt on. Her eyes were on Nawat, but her mind was still back in the castle with Dove, and fuming at the Trickster God, Kyprioth. Nawat moved closer to Aly and knelt in front of her.  
"I'm going to get you into some dry clothes, okay Aly?" Aly's eyes focused back onto Nawat and she nodded slowly. Taking that as permission Nawat planted a kiss on her forehead and lifted Aly's nightgown over her shoulders, taking care to look only at her face as he did so, and slipped his rough shirt onto her. With that done, Nawat pulled Aly toward him and held her in his arms. She huddled into his warm embrace and wept for her mistress, worry seeming to engulf her entire being. Eventually Aly began to calm down as Nawat whispered comforting words to her. Running his hands through Aly's short, two inch long, hair Nawat leant down to give Aly a soft kiss.  
"It will be okay, I am here for you always, and you will see that Dove will be alright." Nawat's words lessened Aly's worry over her young mistress and she smiled weakly up at him, her face tear-streaked. Nawat brushed aside Aly's hair and kissed away the tears from her cheeks as Aly held onto him even tighter.  
"Nawat, what is Kyprioth doing to Dove, she is only 13? I thought she was his chosen one, the rightful heir?" Aly whimpered, "I am her maid and I have failed to keep her safe. I am a failure." Aly thrust her face once more into Nawat's chest, fighting against a new flood of tears. She was supposed to be strong, her mother was the Kings Champion and her father the Spymaster.  
"Shh, it will be alright." Nawat whispered while tightening his hold on Aly, he needed to make her feel safe and secure. That was his job right now, to care for his Aliane.

 **How did you like the first chapter? Please review it and tell others about it if you liked it.  
-Annabeth**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Castle**

When the sun had been up for some time Nawat walked Aly back to her and Dove's room, where everyone was still watching the young girl sleep. Their entrance roused Duchess Winnamie, who shook her head and put on a fake smile.  
"Right, we all need breakfast, Dove will wake up when the Trickster lets her go. All we can do is wait, but that doesn't mean we have to waste away." With that, everyone moved out of the room and Nawat walked Aly over to her cot. He tucked her in, very tempted to lie next to her, but instead kissed her on the cheek and firmly told her to rest. As Nawat closed the door Aly's eyes drifted shut and she slept deeply. But Nawat could not, he slid down the door after he had closed it and sat thinking. He had changed into a man to help the Balitang girls, he had not intended on having feelings for the strong woman he met. He could not go back to being a crow, he could never do that now, and he had decided to become a man to serve his God and care for the woman that caused the strange fluttering in his heart.  
"Alianne of Pirate's Swoop," he mused to himself, "daughter of the Champion of Tortall and the Kings Spymaster, a woman of 17 whom has captured my heart." He laughed softly in his enchanting voice, he could never give her what she deserved, she was Tortallan nobility and he was Nawat Crow, no-one in the eyes of the world. With a heavy heart Nawat walked away from the woman that had captured his heart.

Aly woke at noon and, for a moment forgetting of the nights troubles, called out to Dove. When she got no response from Dove she remembered everything that had happened during the night. Seeing that Dove was no longer in her bed Aly's mind raced with excitement. She jumped up and almost ran out of the room before realising she was still only dressed in Nawat's shirt. Aly quickly got changed, stopping for just a moment to press Nawat's shirt to her face as she breathed in his scent, and raced out of the room down the hallways to the drawing room where the ladies usually kept themselves. As she rushed into the room though, Aly could tell that Dove had not been there.  
"Have either of you seen Dove, she isn't in her bed anymore and I was hoping she had woken up?" Aly's words were rushed together but Duchess Winnamie and Sarai had heard what she was saying, they both shook their heads in shock.  
"I shall tell the guards that Dove has gone, and we shall all search for her. She can't have gone far." Stated the Duchess in a powerful voice. Aly nodded and began to search the rest of the castle, she searched every nook and cranny she could find until Nawat found her, ready to collapse.  
"No-one has found her, Aly. Come to the dining hall, you haven't eaten all day." Nawat picked her up and carried her in his strong arms to the dining hall where an early dinner was being served. A guard was just leaving and, as Nawat placed Aly in a chair, Duchess Winnamie stood up.  
"Dove has not been found anywhere nearby or on the castle grounds. A search team will be assembled but for now…for now we cannot do anything." Aly stared up in dismay, Dove had up and disappeared. With Nawat's careful encouragement Aly ate the dinner placed in front of her.

Later that evening Nawat found Aly in the kitchen, packing food into her small bag full of her possessions. She glanced up at him and smiled wearily, before focusing again on her task at hand.  
"Aly," Nawat began cautiously, "What are you doing?" He was looking directly at the bag she was holding, suspicion in his eyes.  
"Nawat, I'm going to go find Dove. I can't wait for that search team, we have to find her!" Aly kept on putting more food into her bag, but stopped abruptly and looked up. "It would be a lot easier if I had a companion along with me. Would you like to come, Nawat?" Nawat sighed, he couldn't let her go alone, and what would he do if she never came back?  
"I would do anything for you, Aly, of course I will come." Aly hugged him, whispering her thanks, then Nawat left to go pack a bag of his own. An hour later the two were at the gates of the castle, ready to leave for the jungle.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Jungle**

"Nawat," Aly asked, "do you think we're going the right way?" Nawat looked over to Aly, he couls see the stress visible in her eyes and the way she walked and he sighed.  
"Aly, my dear Alianne, I know you're worried but we will find her, even if this isn't the right way. We will get a sign, perhaps someone will have seen Dove. It will all turn out okay. I think we have travelled far enough today, let's look for somewhere to make camp." Aly nodded, she was glad Nawat had suggested they stop for the night, she had had an exhausting day and was only now feeling the effects of it. Aly trudged through the undergrowth, her eyes on the ground, as Nawat searched for a spot for them to make camp. They soon came to a small clearing that had enough space for them to sleep and they spread out their bedrolls.  
"I'm going to see if I can find us some fresh game so we can save the dried food for emergencies, okay?" Nawat tucked Aly's short hair back and smiled at her, "Dove will be alright, don't worry too much." He then turned and, taking his hunting gear, walked back into the jungle. Aly sighed after him, she still worried, and she had _so_ many things to worry about. She got up, stumbling around in her tired state, and found a few twigs and sticks to make up a fire, using her flint and steel to get it going. She then set up the spit which they would undoubtedly need, Nawat was a very good hunter, and sat back on her bedroll looking at Nawat's bedroll on the other side of the fire. Aly sat like that for a few minutes, just staring, but then she huffed and muttered to herself what a fool she was being before dragging her bedroll closer to Nawat's. Nawat walked into the clearing with two rabbits and wordlessly handed one to Aly to skin, not acknowledging that she had moved her bedroll so it were only a step away from his own. They didn't talk as they skinned the rabbits and then cooked them on the spit, they were both much too worried about young Dove being in the Trickster's clutches.

When Nawat woke in the morning Aly's bedroll was directly next to his and she had somehow managed to wriggle her way into his arms as they had slept. He smiled at the thought of sleeping with Aly in his arms every night, but his happy, content face quickly morphed into one of shock as Aly's hand brushed lightly over the bulge in his pants. Nawat groaned, clenching his teeth, and blushed bright red. The want that raged through his body now undeniable. But Aly's hand did not brush past again as it just wandered up to his bare chest and rested there. Nawat tried to focus on the birds calling, announcing that dawn had come, and the sounds of animals walking through the jungle not far away but there was only that one feeling of such intense desire that he had never felt before. Doing the best he could to ignore how much he wanted Aly, he began to stroke her hair whispering about the future they could have together because he knew she was asleep and would not hear.

Aly began to stir without Nawat noticing as he was so engrossed in describing the future they could have together. He had her wrapped in his arms, and as Aly half woke she snuggled in closer to the warm chest next to her, not quite realising what her sleepy self was doing. As she was half asleep, Aly was listening to the future Nawat was describing with such emotion, but when he mentioned Dove her mind became sharply awake and she jerked. Nawat stopped talking mid-sentence when he realised she was awake.  
"Nawat, the sun is already above the tree tops! We have to get moving!" Aly scrambled about, trying to pack up her bedroll as quickly as she could until Nawat calmly put his hand on her shoulder.  
"We're in no rush, we don't know which way Dove is, remember? Just be calm, Aly."


End file.
